Author: OnlyBob

Catalan Separatist Trial
As 12 Catalan separatist leaders prepare to go on trial in Madrid tomorrow .. Spain has been forced to defend the independence and impartiality of its courts.
Catalan separatists have dismissed the high-profile trial as a “farce” whose outcome is already pre-determined.
Not so, says the government, which has published a file to show Spain’s justice system is just as fair as its European counterparts, citing rankings by the European Commission, the European Court of Human Rights and Transparency International.… Read all the news

Right Wing Protest
Tens of thousands gathered in Madrid yesterday for a protest by right-wing parties opposed to a government plan to ease tension in the Catalonia region.
The centre-right PP and Ciudadanos say Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s plan to appoint an intermediary for talks with separatists amounts to treason.
The separatists have rejected the offer – they want a new independence vote.
Like the right, the ruling Socialists also oppose Catalan independence.
Far-right groups including the Vox party were also present at the protest, held under the slogan “For a united Spain.… Read all the news

Mallorca
A search is underway on Mallorca for a 41-year-old woman who has been missing after going hiking.
Her husband reported her disappearance after she failed to return home after leaving their house at 9am.
A search operation is underway with a helicopter and rescue group scouring the area.
And in a separate incident on Mallorca, five climbers were rescued in a hair raising rescue in the early hours yesterday morning after becoming trapped on a cliff edge for 11 hours.… Read all the news

Fatal Road Accident
Five rail workers were killed in a road traffic accident early yesterday when the van that was carrying them to work crashed into a truck and overturned.
The victims all worked for Monferra, a company that assembles and maintains railways, and had been on their way to a job when the accident happened.
The workers were all from Las Cabezas de San Juan in Sevilla Province and had been traveling in the early hours.
The driver of the truck that was involved in the collision was hospitalized.… Read all the news

Car Crash Deaths
Emergency Services have confirmed five people died in a crash between a lorry and a car this morning.
The accident happened on the A-394 between Utrera and Arahal in the province of Sevilla.
The five victims were traveling in the car according to health officials.
Guardia Civil traffic officers are at the scene to investigate the cause of the accident.
In a separate incident in Almeria a 48-year-old man died after his car overturned in the early hours of the morning in El Ejido.… Read all the news

Franco History
Hundreds of towns and villages have been ordered to remove vestiges of General Franco’s dictatorship – including renaming streets.
A total of 1,171 roads and squares retain names or figures that were originally a homage to the dictator and his men, and the 656 local councils they belong to have been given instructions to wipe them out.
This falls in line with the Law of Historic Memory, passed in 2007, and the request has come from the ministry of justice.… Read all the news

Madrid Taxi Strike
Taxi-drivers in Madrid called off their indefinite strike yesterday after 16 days during which they obtained no concessions from the regional government.
Madrid’s refusal to accept drivers’ demands came after ride-hailing companies Uber and Cabify said last week they were suspending their services in Barcelona in response to the imposition of limits on how they operate in the city.
Union representatives in Madrid said the strike had demonstrated the unity and power of the drivers, which would help them continue the fight for their demands.… Read all the news

Tax Fraud
Ex-Manchester United boss José Mourinho has agreed a prison term in Spain for tax fraud but will not go to jail.
A one-year prison sentence will instead be exchanged for a fine of €182,500. That will be added to a separate fine of €2m.
Spain rarely enforces sentences of less than two years for non-violent or first-time offenders.
He was accused of owing €3.3m to Spanish tax authorities from his time managing Real Madrid in 2011-2012.
Prosecutors said he had created offshore companies to manage his image rights and hide the earnings from tax officials.… Read all the news

2019 Budget
Catalan pro-independence parties said yesterday they would file parliamentary amendments opposing the Spanish government’s 2019 budget proposal, potentially putting at risk the budget and the administration of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
His minority Socialist government came to power last June and holds just a quarter of the seats in parliament and it relies on the backing of anti-austerity Podemos, Catalan nationalists and other small parties to pass laws.
The two Catalan parties, ERC and PDeCAT, said they would file full parliamentary amendments against the budget proposal, which faces its first vote next week, unless Sanchez is open to some of their political demands.… Read all the news

Love Triangle Murder
The woman allegedly at the center of a ‘love triangle’ which saw a convicted Irish drug dealer killed in Alicante is among four people arrested in connection with his death.
Carl Carr who was 38 and from Dublin, was reported missing in September, and his body later found in a shallow grave by the AP7 motorway near Torevieja.
Mr Carr’s flatmate Wayne Walsh, from Kilkenny appeared in court on Saturday on suspicion of killing him, and remains in jail.… Read all the news